Government to pay for cost of policing Merseyside riots

Apr 13 2012 by Ben Rossington, Liverpool Echo

THE government has agreed to pay for the cost of policing last summer’s Merseyside riots.

The bill for two nights of violence in August last year was put at around £2.8m once police resources and compensation pay-outs were calculated.

Policing the rioting and the subsequent nights on patrol to keep the peace cost around £1.9m.

But the cost was bumped up by claims made to the police authority under the Riots Damages Act by residents and businesses in Toxteth, Birkenhead and parts of Sefton who found themselves caught up in the violence.

In January the home office agreed to cover most of the costs but today Merseyside police authority said they were expecting an extra £300,000 from Whitehall to make up the shortfall.

The authority has also now put in a claim for another £156,000 to cover the cost of bringing rioters to justice.

A decision will be made by the home office at a later date.